Wellbores are formed in subterranean formations for various purposes including, for example, extraction of oil and gas from the subterranean formations and extraction of geothermal heat from the subterranean formations. Wellbores can exhibit extremely aggressive environments. For example, wellbores can exhibit abrasive surfaces, can be filled with corrosive chemicals (e.g., caustic drilling muds; well fluids, such as salt water, crude oil, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide; etc.), and can exhibit increasing high temperatures and pressures at progressively deeper “down-hole” locations.
The extremely aggressive environments of wellbores can rapidly degrade the materials of structures, tools, and assemblies used in various down-hole applications (e.g., drilling applications, conditioning applications, logging applications, measurement applications, monitoring applications, exploring applications, etc.). Such degradation limits operational efficiency of these structures, tools and assemblies, and results in undesirable repair and replacement costs. Accordingly, there is a continuing need for down-hole structures, tools, and assemblies having material characteristics capable of withstanding such extremely aggressive environments, as well as for methods of forming such down-hole structures, tools, and assemblies.
One approach toward forming down-hole structures, tools, and assemblies capable of withstanding such extremely aggressive environments of wellbores includes boronizing the down-hole structures, tools, and assemblies. Boronizing, also known as “boriding,” is a thermal diffusion process wherein boron atoms diffuse into and react with metals to form metal borides exhibiting relatively enhanced properties (e.g., thermal resistance, hardness, toughness, chemical resistance, abrasion resistance, corrosion resistance, reduction in friction coefficient, mechanical strength, etc.) as compared to the metals. Unfortunately, however, conventional methods of forming borided down-hole structures, tools, and assemblies can be cost-prohibitive and environmentally unfriendly. For example, conventional methods of forming borided down-hole structures, tools, and assemblies can be time consuming (e.g., powder pack boriding, gas boriding, and fluidized bed boriding processes requiring from about 8 hours to about 10 hours of processing time; plasma boriding processes requiring from about 15 hours to about 25 hours of processing time; molten salt boriding processes requiring from about 6 hours to about 8 hours of processing time; etc.), and can utilize and produce toxic chemicals that necessitate the use of separate and costly equipment and processes to mitigate health, safety, and environmental concerns.
It would, therefore, be desirable to have new methods, systems, and apparatuses for forming borided down-hole structures, tools, and assemblies that are simple, fast, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly as compared to conventional methods, systems, and apparatuses for forming borided down-hole structures, tools, and assemblies. Such methods, systems, and apparatuses may facilitate increased adoption and use of borided structures, tools, and assemblies in down-hole applications.